By KT Reporter
The Judiciary is to launch a digital tool to monitor the performance of magistrates and judges. It is part of the efforts to curb the case backlog crisis and strengthen accountability and performance of the judicial officers.
According to Supreme Court Justice Mike Chibita, who is the Chairperson of the Judiciary’s Performance Management and Awards Committee, the Performance Enhancement Tool (PET), developed as a home-grown web-based system, seeks to address deficiencies in the justice sector by adopting a 360-degree performance appraisal model.
Chibita said the tool, which will be effective on October 17th, 2025, is tailored specifically for the Judiciary, addressing the shortcomings of previous generic appraisal systems that did not reflect the realities of judicial work.
He said earlier performance appraisal methods relied heavily on borrowed frameworks that failed to capture critical aspects of judicial work, such as case complexity, case weight, and input from court users. That, he said, created gaps in fairness and objectivity, as well as missed opportunities for professional growth.
It will incorporate feedback from multiple sources, including the judicial officers themselves, supervisors, peers, subordinates, and, importantly, lawyers, prosecutors, and litigants.
Chibita explained that it includes quantitative performance indicators, such as case disposal rates, backlog reduction, timeliness, and frequency of adjournments, as well as qualitative factors like accessibility, integrity, customer service, and satisfaction among court users.
He said the tool will provide impartial evaluations across all levels of judicial and non-judicial staff, while safeguarding judicial independence.
The tool operates in cyclical phases, beginning with performance planning that involves setting targets, defining case weights, and identifying required competencies.
That will be followed by monitoring and review to track progress and gather feedback. Evaluation and appraisal then compile results from all evaluators to generate performance scores.
The final phases focus on development, addressing training and capacity-building needs, and reporting through dashboards and analytics that support evidence-based leadership decisions.
Justice Chibita acknowledged some of the challenges anticipated during implementation, including resistance to change, risks of data errors, potential system downtime, and the risk of focusing too heavily on numbers over quality. To mitigate these challenges, the Judiciary has training programs, auditing mechanisms, technical support structures, and strict confidentiality safeguards.
He emphasized that the PET is not intended as a punitive tool but rather as an enabler designed to empower judicial officers and staff to perform at their best.
Dr. Pius Bigirimana, Permanent Secretary to the Judiciary, suggested the need to address longstanding issues such as delays, case backlogs, and inefficient case management practices.
Bigirimana also pointed to the importance of active case management and mediation as tools to reduce delays and minimize unnecessary adjournments. He said that courts must justify prolonged cases and manage their dockets more effectively to uphold public confidence in the justice system.
He said Timely resolution of cases not only supports business confidence but also facilitates revenue generation for the government by unlocking funds that might otherwise remain tied up in litigation.
He further noted that the tool will enable an evidence-based approach for monitoring performance so that the leadership makes informed decisions on issues such as staff deployment, resource allocation, promotions, and reforms.
Joseph Ssenabulya, the Judiciary’s Principal Information Management Officer, said the tool integrates with existing technology platforms to enable accurate performance assessment. He explained that the tool is closely linked with the Judiciary’s E-Case Management Information System (ECMIS), which captures detailed data on case management, including completed and pending cases, modes of disposal, and other case-specific information.
Ssenabulya emphasized that counting the number of completed cases alone does not provide a full picture of judicial performance. The tool relies on data from ECMIS to assess case complexity by analyzing factors such as the number of parties involved, witnesses, lawyers, and other variables that influence the time and effort required to resolve cases.
The original system, funded by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), was later developed and incorporated by the Government of Uganda. The addition of case weighting to the tool ensures that judicial officers are fairly evaluated based not only on volume but also on the complexity and significance of the cases they handle.
Ssenabulya explained that a simple application concluded in a single day cannot be fairly compared to a complex, case of like fraud case involving huge sums of money and multiple parties. He noted that by assigning weights to cases based on these factors, the PET system offers a more nuanced and equitable performance measurement.
He said the integration between PET and ECMIS also eliminates the need for manual reporting and physical file handling, improving efficiency and data accuracy. Although the original system development was funded by DANIDA, the Government of Uganda has since taken over further enhancements, including the case weighting functionality.
President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, during the 21st Annual Judges Conference in January 2019, launched the Judiciary’s Performance Enhancement Tool (PET). However, it didn’t go live until this Friday, when it’s expected to be online.
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